Tag Archives: election

Armed with a plunger and pen, Joe the Plumber is now an official ‘journalist,’ according to today’s definition, which includes anybody and everybody. Samuel Wurzelbacher, a conservative, uninformed American turned pop culture icon during the charades of the ’08 election, will now be penning articles covering conflict on the Gaza Strip, as an Israel-based war ‘correspondent’ for right-leaning website PajamasTV — a news outlet spouting the tired argument of liberal media bias. A propaganda pawn for McCain, Joe was not in fact a plumber but a tax-owning business owner. Now he’s asking the public to take him seriously as a professional journalist. Here’s the shorthand: ignorant everyman who publically suggests Obama is anti-Israel socialist tries to command the attention of the masses through his ‘reporting’ of one of the most complex current events, an event that even the most seasoned and ethical correspondents have failed to convey with complete accuracy. Joe, can I call ya’ Joe? We’re sorry to hear you’re unwilling to relinquish your 15 minutes of fame but go back to pitching your book deals and spare yourself from the embarassment. And spare the integrity of journalism from going down the drain.

While New Yorkers know Rudy Giuliani isn’t the Sept. 11 hero he claims to be, his campaign has been fairly successful in convincing the rest of the country that he is. Joe Biden said it best when he characterized the GOP candidate as only speaking with ‘a noun, a verb and a 9/11.’ The exploitation of the tragedy permeates all he does on the campaign trail – from debates, speeches and political ads (see below). While admittedly neglecting to campaign in states he feels don’t matter, don’t count him out yet. He’ll return with his 9/11 rhetoric once the primaries hit the more populous states. His fear-mongering messages aren’t over yet but let’s take the lead of his children and start tuning him out. Don’t fret yet Rudy: you’ll always have a career hosting “Saturday Night Live.”